Xuezhi pointed at him, shouting even louder than before, "Monster! Faceless ghost!!" But the man replied impatiently, "What are you yelling about? So noisy." As he spoke, something began to wrinkle on his forehead. The next moment, the skin on his face began to sink in, and the tip of his nose peeked out.
In just a short while, a somewhat sinister-looking young man's face appeared before her. This, combined with the red down on his head, made him even more imbued with the demonic aura of Hongling Temple.
Xuezhi asked in astonishment, "What are you transformed from?"
The boy said, "I'm not some kind of transformation. I broke the rules, almost died, and now I'm alive again, that's all."
Only then did Xuezhi notice the small poison gourd hanging from his waist. She immediately realized, "You're the Hongling Temple disciple who killed someone at the Heroes' Gathering during the day?"
"yes."
Xuezhi suddenly regretted saving him and said, "Since they're all prepared to kill you, you'll die anyway if you go back. Do you understand the principle of 'a life for a life'?"
"How could I possibly die?" The boy shook the poison gourd at his waist. "When I get back, I can get a bigger one. The abbot will also reward me with more poisons and venom, and then I can finally hold my head high in Hongling Temple."
"What are you talking about? Weren't they going to kill you?"
The boy said with pride, “This is the rule of the temple. As long as you solve the problem set by your senior brother and do not ask for help, you can exchange gourds with him and gain his power.”
"Didn't you seek help from anyone else?"
The man cried out, "You saved me, but how could you have known that I had asked you for help?"
The world is vast, and there are many scoundrels, but this was the first time she had ever encountered someone so shameless. She realized she could never find common ground with the people of Hongling Temple, and Xuezhi turned and left.
The boy behind her said, "However, the abbot also said that repaying kindness is the most basic moral bottom line of Hongling Temple."
Hearing the last sentence, Xuezhi was both amused and exasperated, but decided not to waste time arguing with him and continued walking. However, she hadn't taken two steps when her wrist was grabbed, her body was twisted, and a passionate kiss was planted on her lips.
"Now we're even." The boy smiled innocently.
Xuezhi was dumbfounded.
Her third first kiss was taken away by a perverted child from Hongling Temple in such an inexplicable way.
14
Xuezhi called it her third first kiss because, in her definition, a true first kiss should be with the one you love. Therefore, the first kiss she intentionally gave to her eldest uncle when she was two years old, only to be pinched by her second uncle, doesn't count, nor does the one she accidentally kissed when she turned around and kissed Mu Yuan during their martial arts competition when she was twelve.
This time, perhaps because of his age, he was the most shocked. Without saying a word, Xuezhi delivered a deafening slap.
The boy fell to the ground after being hit, covering his face and looking at her innocently: "Why did you hit me?"
Xuezhi was so angry that her face turned red, and she raised her sword, intending to kill him to silence him.
However, at this crucial moment, a fog bomb fell to the ground, and Xuezhi heard the boy say in the fog, "If you don't like this, I'll repay you in a different way next time. Until we meet again, little beauty!"
Xuezhi returned to the inn with a heavy heart.
She pushed open the door, and there sat Mu Yuan in her room, his back to her, writing something. She felt like a child who had done something wrong; she took a few steps back and stood guard at the door for a long time without going in. But then she thought, Mu Yuan must have noticed her presence, so she tiptoed over the threshold, closed the door, and whispered:
"Brother Mu Yuan."
Mu Yuan immediately turned around and smiled, "Young Palace Master, have you finished practicing your sword? I've compiled the list of participants for the tournament; you can take a look in a bit."
Xuezhi nodded.
"Why are you all wet?" Mu Yuan pushed open the window and stretched his hand out. "It's not raining, did you fall into the river?"
Xuezhi nodded.
Mu Yuan seemed to sense something was wrong and turned to look at Xue Zhi again. The first time he saw her, she was only six or seven years old, incredibly thin, like a little bamboo pole, wearing a bright red dress and wandering around. Her two ponytails were tied very high, swaying back and forth, and her face was always either glaring or laughing wildly. Ten years later, her features were still as beautiful as when she was a child, only the two ponytails on her head were getting lower and lower, just like the silence that followed her fiery temper, growing longer and longer.
Before her death, Chong Lian entrusted many matters concerning Chonghuo Palace to Mu Yuan, including Xue Zhi. He didn't know what would become of Lin Yuhuang, but no matter what happened, he hoped Mu Yuan would stay by her side until she found someone worthy to entrust her life to and got married. As for Chonghuo Palace, it would suffice as long as it operated under the name of Chong Xue Zhi as its palace master.
Mu Yuan was an orphan until he was seven years old; he didn't even know what his biological parents looked like. As he grew older, he gradually came to understand that there were many kinds of emotions in the world, which were contradictory and complex. However, the emotions he was very certain of were his admiration for Chong Lian and his pity for Xue Zhi.
Seeing Xuezhi's soaking wet and somewhat disheveled appearance, Mu Yuan suddenly felt a pang of nostalgia for her fearless childhood self. After thinking for a long time, he finally stood up and said, "Wait a moment, I'll go ask the maid to find you some clothes."
"No need, let me take a look at the list first."
Mu Yuan sighed and had no choice but to rummage through the cabinet for a bath towel himself. When he brought it to her, he intended to dry her off as he usually did, but he hesitated slightly and simply handed the towel to her. Xue Zhi took the towel listlessly, simply hanging it around her neck, and then picked up the notebook Mu Yuan had been organizing and began to read it word by word: "I remember when we came out, the elders told me that I had to get into the top five, and that getting you into the top thirty would be enough."
"Of course, the elders hope that you can become the most skilled martial artist in Chonghuo Palace, which is understandable. But they won't blame you, after all, you are still young."
"You won't?" Xuezhi raised the corners of her mouth, but there was no smile in her eyes. "Let's talk about it when we get back. We'll go watch the martial arts competition again tomorrow, and we have to go back in a few days. We need to recruit a few more disciples recently, and we also need to work hard to improve our ranking on the weapon ranking list."
"I'll take two people with me to the weapons ranking competition, no need to worry."
"No, I can't be absent." At this point, Xuezhi sneezed. "You should go to sleep early, and get up early tomorrow to go to the venue."
Mu Yuan originally wanted to ask her about her health, but seeing her rubbing her nose and rubbing her hair with a towel, he swallowed his words.
“Young Palace Master, actually, the Palace Master gave some instructions before, and I think it’s time to discuss them with you now.”
Xuezhi slowly stopped moving: "...What is it?"
Mu Yuan pondered for a moment, then said in a low voice, "The Palace Master once said that the Young Palace Master should consider getting married when he reaches a certain age."
“It’s too early now,” Xuezhi said decisively. “Let’s talk about it after I turn twenty-six.”
"That's too late."
“At the very least, we should wait for Chonghuo Palace to recover its strength. What kind of image would it be for me to get married now? If you are looking for a powerful force to form an alliance with us through marriage, then I'm sorry, I, Chong Xuezhi, am not that kind of person.”
“You should know that’s not what I meant.” Mu Yuan paused. “I think Xia Qingmei of Lingjian Manor is a handsome and talented woman with a refined demeanor and a good reputation in the martial arts world. I wonder if the young master has any interest in her?”
Xuezhi looked up in surprise, momentarily at a loss for words.
"Think about it." Mu Yuan patted her shoulder. "To be honest, as long as the young palace master is not married, I can't put my mind at ease. I'm always worried that you will cause trouble."
Xuezhi glared at him: "How can you talk like that!"
At that moment, someone knocked on the door.
Xuezhi asked, "Who is it?"
"It's Xia Qingmei from Lingjian Manor," the person outside asked. "Excuse me, is this Miss Chong's room?"
15
Xuezhi and Muyuan looked at each other for a moment. Xuezhi gave him a wink, and he leaned against the cabinet. Xuezhi went over and opened the door.
As soon as the door opened, the clattering of pots and bowls outside became quite noisy. Xuezhi lived on the second floor and could even see wine pots flying up and falling down below.
As expected, it was Xia Qingmei who came to visit. He had changed out of the white robes and black belt from Lingjian Manor, along with the leather wrist guards, and put on a set of dark red casual clothes and a golden dragon playing with a pearl headdress. He looked much more refined and elegant, not like a martial artist, but more like a noble young master.
"I wonder if I, Xia, have disturbed Miss Chong?"
"That's not true." Xuezhi glanced behind her, stepped out of the threshold, and asked, "May I ask what brings Young Master Xia here...?"
"Oh, I just feel guilty for hurting the young lady at the conference during the day, so I came here to apologize."
"Haha, so that's what it was about." Xuezhi waved her hand. "Young Master Xia is overthinking it. It was a martial arts competition on the stage, not a feud. How could I possibly take it to heart?"
"The Lotus Palace Master's daughter is indeed much more generous and magnanimous," Xia Qingmei said with a smile. "I would like to invite you for a drink, young lady. Would you do me the honor?"
"No problem. Please." Before leaving, Xuezhi turned back and winked at Mu Yuan before following Xia Qingmei to the first floor of the inn.
As soon as evening fell, the martial arts heroes who had finished their matches gathered here to drink and sing, making it virtually impossible to sleep at this time. As soon as Xuezhi and Xia Qingmei came downstairs, some people who had finished gossiping during the day became interested again, staring intently at them, afraid of missing a single detail.
The two sat down at a small round table, ordered a pot of mulberry wine, and each took a small sip.
Xuezhi said, "This mulberry wine is very authentic; it truly is a fragrant and refreshing liquor."
"Does Miss Chong know about wine?"
"I only know the basics." Xuezhi smiled. "My father loves to appreciate wine, but he can't hold his liquor. I'm learning to appreciate wine from him, but I can't drink too much either."
“Tasting wine is certainly better than indulging in it. But, the father you're talking about... is he the Palace Master Lian?”
"yes."
"But I heard he has an amazing alcohol tolerance, and can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk."
"That's because he doesn't show it when he's drunk. He behaves normally. As long as you don't push him, you won't be able to tell."
"What if we push it away?"
"It collapsed."
Xia Qingmei laughed out loud: "If I hadn't heard you say it yourself, I really wouldn't have believed it. I always felt that the name Chonglian had long become a myth, and whatever he did would become a legend. I really couldn't associate him with an ordinary person."
An ordinary person? Actually, Grandpa has quite a few quirks. For example, every day after lying in bed with his eyes closed, even if he doesn't move, it takes at least an hour for him to fall asleep, without exception; for example, he often frowns for no reason and then covers his forehead; for example, whether he drinks water or tea, he always likes to leave a little bit at the end and refuses to finish it no matter what.
During a conversation between Lin Yuhuang and Situ Xuetian, the topic of Chonglian's drinking habits came up. Situ Xuetian, a shrewd businesswoman with a keen understanding of human nature, remarked that Chonglian felt the water she kept, even if it was her own, was unclean—a manifestation of self-loathing and extreme mysophobia. Lin Yuhuang didn't believe her and asked Chonglian why she didn't drink it. Chonglian said she didn't know, then added after a moment's thought, "It feels a little unclean." Upon hearing this, Lin Yuhuang was so frightened that she couldn't sleep well for several days. For a long time afterward, she became extremely accommodating to Chonglian, which only confused her further.
Although Xuezhi didn't want to admit it, even she felt that her great-uncle was unusually lacking in self-respect.
However, she couldn't possibly say any of these things; she only smiled and said:
"Actually, apart from his martial arts skills, many people in the martial arts world have exaggerated his abilities to the point of being godlike."
"I believe his appearance is just as the legends say," Xia Qingmei smiled. "You'll know once you see the young lady."
Xuezhi paused, somewhat embarrassed: "No, it's not that exaggerated."
The two chatted for a while longer, until it got dark.
Xia Qingmei said, "To be honest, I used to have a lot of misunderstandings about Chonghuo Palace and Miss Chong, which is why I impulsively went on stage to challenge her today. Now that I think about it, it seems I was just going with the flow. Come, let me toast you."
Xuezhi raised her glass, drank it down, and then stammered, "By the way, how is Miss Lin doing these days?"
"You mean Feng Zi?"
"Ah, um."
Xia Qingmei suddenly laughed: "She only had a minor injury on her neck, but after she got back, she kept complaining to the Master that her sister was too ruthless. She even clung to the Master and cried for a long time. In the end, the Master couldn't take it anymore and said, 'How can you practice martial arts like this?' Do you know what she said?"
"What did she say?"
"She said her older sister will be the Palace Master of Chonghuo Palace in the future, and will be a powerful female demon. With her sister protecting her, she doesn't need to practice martial arts."
Xuezhi's temper flared up again: "Who could be the female demon!"
"Haha, Miss Chong, please calm down. Feng Zi has always been like that. You'll get used to it."
"However, I didn't expect Master Lin to be so strict."
“Wrong.” Xia Qingmei shook her finger. “The Master was just saying that. Feng Zi is naturally very sensitive to martial arts and learns very quickly. In fact, no one around her is strict with her. She is just spoiled because she is too pampered. Many girls can’t stand her. She says that only you are strict with her on the surface but actually care about her.”