"Niece, what are you doing?" Xue Qing asked.
“Mother said that if the house is too dirty, the people living there will get sick,” said Cocoon Butterfly, continuing to wipe the table with her head down.
Xue Qing blushed for Dong Chou. Even the little girl couldn't stand the mess in his house. This was hardly the residence of the "Jade-Faced Swordsman," but clearly a branch of the Beggars' Sect.
"Firefly, are we going to stay here tonight?" Xue Qing suddenly remembered something and asked worriedly.
Firefly nodded: "There's nowhere else to stay nearby, so we have to stay here."
"..."
Xue Qing also started rummaging through her luggage, pulled out two pieces of cloth and threw one to Liu Ying: "Come on, get to work, or you won't be able to sleep tonight."
So when Dongchou went to the tavern to pay off his debts, three little elves swept and dusted his house. When Dongchou returned with a large jar of wine, he found the house spotless and the bed covered with a brand new thick quilt. He couldn't help but back out of the door, thinking he had gone to the wrong place.
Xue Qing couldn't help but complain, "No need to look, who else lives on this mountain besides you?"
Dongchou exclaimed in surprise, "Junior sister, you've become so virtuous in the three years I haven't seen you! Getting married really changes you."
"What? Who's getting married? Who am I going to marry?" Xue Qing felt uneasy, wondering if her affair with Yan Ming had been discovered.
"Master Xiao of Dongqi Pavilion, how is it? Has he proposed to you?" Dongchou even raised his eyebrows at Xue Qing.
"...Who told you that?"
"It was told by a storyteller from the next town."
“Master, you’ve misunderstood. Pavilion Master Xiao has someone else in his heart,” Liu Ying suddenly said.
"How did you know!" Xue Qing exclaimed in horror, even though Liu Ying had read the original novel.
“That day when I was on Lingyu Mountain, I heard him play a tune on a leaf that was full of longing and ambiguity. It must have been played for a woman,” Liuying replied.
Xue Qing was relieved: "So that's how it is." Was Liu Ying really that knowledgeable about music? Could she discern a person's thoughts just by listening to a piece? Xue Qing didn't quite understand; the original novel described Liu Ying very little. Only his death was described in detail, in a very long paragraph!
"Aunt, what are we having for dinner? Uncle's family is out of rice," Jian Die said as she ran over after rummaging through the stove.
"Oh right, Second Senior Brother, I haven't introduced you yet," Xue Qing pulled the Cocoon Butterfly in front of her, "This is Third Senior Brother's daughter. Tell Second Senior Brother what your name is."
“My name is Willow Butterfly,” Butterfly replied obediently.
"Really! Third Junior Brother's child? Third Junior Brother is back too?" Dong Chou's not-so-clear eyes suddenly widened with piercing light.
Xue Qing remained silent. Liu Ying lowered her eyes and said, "Master, Third Uncle has been dead for several years."
"Hehehe," Dongchou chuckled bitterly, took out the wine jar from his waist and took a big gulp: "I didn't expect him to die before me." After saying that, he carried the wine jar and swayed as he walked into the house.
Cocoon Butterfly clearly didn't understand Dongchou's feelings, and followed behind P-gu, asking, "Second Uncle, what are we having for dinner tonight? You're out of rice."
Dongchou put the wine jar on the ground, patted it, and said, "I brought back dinner."
Is your food just alcohol?! If you keep drinking like this, your corpse won't even decompose when you die!
"Cocoon Butterfly, you stay here. Firefly and I will go into the mountains to see what we can eat."
Cocoon Butterfly nodded in agreement. Xue Qing took Firefly out. This mountain was rather barren, so they probably couldn't catch any wild animals, but there were still fruits and mushrooms, enough to last them one night. They set off with the basket that had been gnawed several holes by insects at the entrance of the cave. Firefly played the role of the hunting dog, searching for the scent of mushrooms in the woods, while Xue Qing was responsible for ruthlessly uprooting them.
"Uncle-Master, when do you plan to tell Master about establishing the Martial Arts Alliance?" Liu Ying asked as they walked side by side.
"...I think Second Senior Brother doesn't seem very motivated." Let a drunkard become the leader of the martial arts world? Is the Central Plains martial arts world doomed?! He'll be completely devoured by Yan Ming!
"When Master was at the height of his fame in the martial arts world, he suddenly came here to live in seclusion. I don't know why he has become increasingly decadent. Perhaps he was tired of the fighting in the martial arts world. In fact, Pavilion Master Xiao is more suitable to be the leader of the martial arts alliance."
"Don't give up! I'll go back and persuade him to give it a try!" Xue Qing said hurriedly. This was forcing her; if she had to choose between Nangong Luoluo's lover and the drunkard, she would rather choose the drunkard. But looking at Dong Chou, he seemed to be on drugs. Liu Ying said he was tired of the conflicts in the martial world, and even if she asked him to return to the martial world as the leader of the alliance, he wouldn't agree. Fang Yun had really given her a big problem this time.
The answer to the question
"good."
When Xue Qing told Dong Chou about becoming the leader of the martial arts alliance, Dong Chou replied in this way.
Having already prepared herself for the Dongchou Conference to be postponed due to its perceived trouble, Xue Qing was even more surprised by this response: "Listen carefully! I'm talking about the leader of the martial arts alliance!"
Startled by Xue Qing's shout, Dong Chou scratched his ear and said, "Junior sister, you're a grown woman, why are you so easily startled? I didn't mishear."
"The leader of the martial arts alliance! The real leader of the martial arts alliance! This is no joke!"
"...I didn't say you were joking."
"Second Senior Brother, look me in the eyes! Do you swear you are serious, extremely serious, and want to take on the heavy responsibility of unifying the martial arts world?" Xue Qing still couldn't believe that her rumored second senior brother, who was extremely averse to trouble, wanted to become the leader of the martial arts alliance? Was she crazy, or had the world gone mad?
"Yes, I am very, very serious about unifying the martial arts world," Dongchou said to Xue Qing with a serious expression on his face.
Afterwards, the two returned to the house. Although Xue Qing had successfully completed the task, she still looked dejected. Liu Ying asked worriedly, "What's wrong? Did Master refuse?"
Xue Qing made a peace sign: "I agree. It feels so good that I'm starting to wonder if I'm dreaming."
Liu Ying also had a strange expression: "Master... is he drunk?"
"He assured me that he was sober, serious, and responsible."
Xue Qing suspected that Dong Chou was drunk or was teasing her until Dong Chou said those words.
"Even if things seem perfect on the surface, they will definitely turn against us if we infringe on their interests. If we want to establish a martial arts alliance, we must ensure that all sects can obtain the benefits they want. Wudang and Emei are naturally on our side, so we don't need to worry about them. Shaolin has always stayed out of the affairs of the martial world, which is actually more troublesome. Without Shaolin's support, the martial arts alliance cannot be called an 'alliance' for the entire martial world. However, Abbot Chankong is a reasonable person. He doesn't interfere in the affairs of the Central Plains martial world, but if we fight against the Desert Wilderness, he will definitely be willing to contribute. Kunlun Palace is definitely dissatisfied. I heard that they have been getting close to Xilin Pavilion recently, probably wanting to support each other. If Dongqi Pavilion annexes Xilin Pavilion, Kunlun Palace will lose an arm. Moreover, if the Central Plains martial world is to be established, there can be no conflicts within the martial arts alliance. Only one of Dongqi Pavilion and Xilin Pavilion can exist. Obviously, Dongqi Pavilion is more beneficial to us."
Xue Qing was surprised that Dong Chou, who spent his days roaming the deep mountains and forests, was so knowledgeable about the ways of the martial arts world. She was even more surprised that he wanted to help Dong Qige annex Xi Linge, which was exactly the opposite of what Xue Qing had thought. Wouldn't Xiao Guiying's unification of Qilinge follow the original plot? A sense of fear lingered in Xue Qing's heart. Had she stumbled into a dead end in the original story and was she unable to escape her predetermined fate? Even if the location, the time, and even the process were different, the ending would always move in the direction of the most helpless one.
“Master and Sect Leader share the same idea. Currently, the East Qilin Pavilion has the upper hand in the struggle between the East Qilin Pavilion and the West Qilin Pavilion. I believe Pavilion Master Xiao will soon be able to reunify the Qilin Pavilion,” Liu Ying said.